The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced a six-month delay in implementing its new Salmonella testing program for not ready-to-eat (NRTE) breaded stuffed chicken products. The program, initially scheduled to begin May 1, 2025, will now start on November 3, 2025.
This postponement also extends the deadline for businesses to reassess their Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans for these products to the same November date.
The delay follows FSIS’s May 1, 2024 final determination that declared NRTE breaded stuffed chicken products containing Salmonella at levels of 1 colony forming unit (CFU) per gram or higher to be adulterated under the Poultry Products Inspection Act. This determination marked a significant change in how these products are regulated.
According to the FSIS announcement, the extension is necessary for several operational reasons. The agency needs additional time to finalize instructions for inspectors and prepare both inspection program personnel and laboratories for the new sampling and testing protocols. Additionally, FSIS intends to provide industry with guidance on holding and controlling products while awaiting sampling results.
The delay has been attributed partly to competing priorities at the end of the previous administration that prevented completion of the sampling program and associated guidance. FSIS also acknowledged that proper preparation of inspection personnel and laboratory readiness is essential to maintain accurate, reliable, and timely test results, which are critical for food safety and public health protection.
Before implementing the verification sampling program, FSIS plans to issue updated sampling instructions and training for inspection program personnel. The agency will also announce in its newsletter, the Constituent Update, information about the methods it will use for qualitative and quantitative analyses for Salmonella in these chicken products.
While businesses are not required to conduct their own Salmonella testing on these products, some may choose to do so voluntarily. The additional time allows these businesses to prepare or develop their own testing methods if they wish.
During the extended preparation period, FSIS plans to develop new recommendations on lotting and holding product, potentially through guidance documents or webinars. This additional time will allow industry stakeholders to ask questions and provide feedback on the agency’s guidance.
The delay will also provide time for new leadership that was appointed after January 20, 2025, to review and provide input and feedback on the agency’s sampling program and guidance material for these products.
Commenting on this article, the nation’s leading Salmonella lawyer said, “This program is part of a broader effort to reduce foodborne illness associated with poultry products, a category that has historically had many product recalls due to contamination with pathogens like Salmonella.”
